The Best Boutique Hotels in England
Small, characterful and individually run, these are the boutique hotels we would book first across England, chosen for design, atmosphere and a genuine sense of place rather than scale.
36 places, ranked by our editors.
Trevose Harbour House
An adults-only townhouse a few steps from St Ives harbour, full of colour, craft and Cornish light.
The Pig on the Beach
A mellow-yellow manor above Studland Bay, with sea views, garden-to-plate food and the Pig group's signature charm.
The Pig in the Forest
The original Pig, deep in the New Forest, where the kitchen garden sets the menu and the mood is gloriously easy.
Hazlitt's
A romantic warren of Georgian townhouses in the heart of Soho, all antiques, four-posters and candlelit charm.
Grays Court
A 900-year-old house tucked between the city walls and York Minster, intimate and full of history.
Dormy House Hotel & Spa
A 17th-century farmhouse above Broadway turned into one of the Cotswolds' most assured spa retreats.
The Star, Alfriston
A medieval inn in a picture-book Sussex village, restored with Olga Polizzi's signature colour and confidence.
The Pig at Combe
An Elizabethan manor in the East Devon hills with the Pig group's garden-to-plate cooking and easy charm.
Babington House
Soho House's original country house: effortlessly cool, with two pools, a spa, a cinema and a genuine welcome for families.
The Pig near Bath
A laid-back Georgian country house a short drive from Bath, with garden-to-plate cooking and easy, dog-friendly charm.
No.15 by GuestHouse, Bath
A playful, design-led townhouse in Georgian Bath with a small basement spa and bags of character.
The Peacock at Rowsley
A 17th-century manor turned dining inn between Chatsworth and Haddon Hall, with stylish rooms and good fishing.
Yorebridge House
A romantic boutique bolthole in Wensleydale, several rooms with private hot tubs facing the Dales.
The Swan at Lavenham
A 15th-century inn at the heart of England's finest medieval wool town, with a boutique spa and beamed romance.
The Pig at Bridge Place
A red-brick Kentish manor with a rock-n-roll past, garden-to-plate food and the Pig group's quirky charm, near Canterbury.
The Zetter Townhouse Marylebone
A characterful, cocktail-led townhouse in Marylebone, full of playful design and one of London's best hotel bars.
Old Bank Hotel
A former bank on Oxford's High Street, now an art-filled boutique hotel with unrivalled views of the dreaming spires.
Old Parsonage Hotel
A 17th-century, ivy-clad house in north Oxford, literary and cosy, with a lovely terrace and roof garden.
University Arms
Cambridge's grand hotel, beautifully reimagined by Martin Brudnizki, overlooking Parker's Piece in the centre of the city.
No.1 York by GuestHouse
A characterful boutique townhouse with a basement spa, moments from York Minster.
Wild Thyme & Honey
A food-first coaching inn near Cirencester where the kitchen does the talking and dogs are as welcome as their owners.
Cowley Manor Experimental
A Victorian manor reimagined with French flair, indoor and outdoor pools, and grounds made for wandering.
The Seaside Boarding House
A stylish clifftop bolthole above Chesil Beach, all sea air, good food and elegant rooms.
The Swan, Southwold
Adnams's smartly refreshed coaching inn in the heart of Southwold, a short walk from the famous beach huts.
The Crown & Castle
A relaxed, food-led inn beside Orford Castle, deeply dog-friendly and close to the wild Suffolk coast.
North House
A Farrow & Ball-clad boutique townhouse above Cowes, with a small spa and a smart, sailing-town mood.
Artist Residence London
A bohemian, art-filled townhouse on a quiet Pimlico street, with exposed brick, pop art and a cosy cocktail bar.
Artist Residence Brighton
An arty, characterful townhouse near Regency Square, a block from Brighton's seafront, with a buzzy restaurant and bar.
Drakes
A sleek seafront townhouse in Kemptown, famous for romantic rooms with freestanding baths facing the sea.
The Twenty One
A nine-room adults-only boutique hotel in Kemptown, beautifully done and quietly luxurious.
Number 38 Clifton
A refined Georgian townhouse atop Clifton, with elegant rooms and views across the Downs and the city.
Salcombe Harbour Hotel
A bright, nautical hotel and spa overlooking the Salcombe estuary, with a pool and sea-view rooms.
The Cavendish Hotel
A traditional country house hotel on the Chatsworth estate, right on the edge of the moors and dog-friendly.
The Wentworth Hotel
A genteel, family-run seaside hotel facing Aldeburgh's shingle beach, classic and timeless.
The Varsity Hotel & Spa
A contemporary boutique hotel by the river in central Cambridge, with a spa and a rooftop terrace over the colleges.
Hotel Continental
A relaxed Art Deco seafront hotel in Whitstable, with converted fishermen's huts on the beach.